Scientific objectives and research project

The Amazon, a global cradle of socio-biodiversity, is undergoing profound ecological and social transformations driven by extractivist development models, climate change, and entrenched inequalities. This collapse trajectory, at the intersection of climate, biodiversity, and society, demands responses that embrace complexity and acknowledge the central role of Traditional Peoples and Communities (TPC). Although guardians of deep ecological knowledge, TPC have long been marginalized in conservation policies that disregard their worldviews and practices, weakening governance and limiting conservation outcomes. IJL AGORA seeks to reverse this trend by strengthening TPC self-organization and political influence, supporting their claim for territorial rights and the respect of ancestral territories, and expanding their role in environmental governance. Grounded in co-construction and intercultural dialogue, the project aims to generate actionable knowledge that reinforces territorial resilience, advances epistemic justice, and drives transformative change. IJL AGORA will co-design pathways that offer alternatives to the hegemonic development model, building on existing sustainability trajectories while addressing current climate and socio-environmental challenges. Academic and community researchers will jointly collect data and co-produce knowledge on TPC-relevant entry points, including agroecology, sustainable artisanal fisheries, water contamination, and climate justice. A “living lab” will foster innovation through experimentation and exchanges on sustainable practices across three dimensions: production, communication, and governance. Drawing on more than a decade of research experience with local partners and ongoing collaborations, IJL AGORA will anchor its activities in three pilot territories—Mamirauá Reserve, the Lower Amazon, and Northeastern Pará—whose distinct socio-ecological contexts provide strong foundations for comparative insights and scaling-up. By cultivating an intercultural learning community and applying participatory monitoring and modeling, IJL AGORA will generate data rooted in territorial realities, enabling dialogue, collective reflection, and joint action. Through this approach, TPC will take a leading role in shaping research and governance, fostering innovative forms of care for the Amazon, and laying the foundations for a long-term socio-environmental innovation think tank.

IRD units involved

• DEPARTEMENT SOCIETES ET MONDIALISATION ( ET MONDIALISATION)
• ESPACE-DEV

Member Institutions

UNB : Universidade de Brasilia

Targeted Sustainable Development Goal(s)

ODD11 - VILLES ET COMMUNAUTES DURABLES

ODD13 - MESURES RELATIVES A LA LUTTE CONTRE LES CHANGEMENTS CLIMATIQUES

ODD15 - VIE TERRESTRE